Clock Reset

After a 5 month “sidestep” we finally got back on the road on the 8^th of September 2009. As we did last December, we only went the 10 miles to Ft. Meade so we could make last minute adjustments before trekking off. It’s a good thing we did too! We weighed Sonny just after leaving Crownsville and found the RV was 1,700 pounds over gross weight. Even though our holding tanks were full, from living in the trailer for nearly a month while sitting in the driveway of our house, we figured we were still at least 1200 pounds too heavy. We spent an extra week removing stuff we decided we could live without including some photo lighting and Melaleuca stuff that was pretty heavy. The local library got an unexpected supply of hard bound books and we dumped as much paper as we could scan in the short time we had. Naturally both our scanners crapped out on us during this marathon so we took the rest of the papers with us, along with a new HP All-in-One to continue scanning as we went south. It’s amazing how heavy paper is and how much space it takes up. It’s also interesting how little we actually need to “file” in our lives and if it wasn’t for taxes, and the government requirements therein, we could get rid of most everything. Anyway, after cramming our storage space in Maryland as full as we could and shedding weight like a crippled aircraft, we headed south on the 24^th of September and reset our two-year time frame for our Odyssey.

Based on the experiences of our first endeavor we decided to stay OFF Interstate highways, travel back roads , scenic byways and keep each day’s travel to 100 to 150 miles. To this end we only made it over the bridge from Maryland into Virginia on Rt 301 to Fort A. P. Hill; a huge, even peaceful, quiet, out of the way place that was very considerate of us sleeping in by not starting their artillery barrages until after 8am. It was a nice place to make some adjustments and catch up on housekeeping items early in our trip. We detoxed from our elevated stress levels acquired with yet more rushing to “get everything done” prior to our departure and were finally able to relax on our journey. Due to our “get it done” natures, we have to constantly work on maintaining a geared down pace; otherwise we could have just kept up the “rat-race” from home.

We took a day to visit the Civil War battlefield of Fredericksburg, which was featured in a TV special we viewed a few years ago. The National Park Service has done a wonderful job of explaining the battle via a movie, and other aids in their visitor center immediately adjacent to the famed sunken road where the Confederate army made their stand. It is mind boggling to imagine thousands of Union soldiers marching through acres of open field to the Confederate line who fired volley after volley into them from the protection of a low stone wall. Over 5,000 Union soldiers died that day compared to just over 1,000 Confederates.

This is the original wall the Confederate forces stood behind while they fired on the Union soldiers advancing up the hill to the left.

A cannon positioned on the hill where the Confederate forces fired volley after volley into the Union Troops that were down the hill to the right .

An ardent fan of Stonewall Jackson, Jay was surprised and pleased to find the Chandler Plantation Overseer’s house where he died of wounds obtained at the battle of Chancellorsville. The house contains the original room, bed where he lay, and other items of furniture and household objects present at that time.

A marker on the Jackson Shrine site.

The original plantation house burned long ago but the Overseerer's home, above, is where Jackson died.

On to Elizabeth City, NC for the annual Ancient Order of the Pterodactyl Roost that was held this year at the Coast Guard’s huge aviation facility there. Along the way we had to stop and have dinner with Al & Sue Brassel at their favorite Mexican restaurant in Yorktown, VA. The best part of this whole travel thing is being able to spend time with dear friends along the way. The Roost was excellent with several special events. The Commandant was there to participate in the change of watch for the Ancient Albatross; Vice Admiral Vivien Crea retired and Rear Admiral Gary Blore took over the duties of the Coast Guard Aviator with the earliest designation date. It is a mostly ceremonial position but it does carry on a long tradition of CG aviation, complete with leather coat and helmet with goggles and white, silk scarf, reminiscent of the open cockpit days of flying.

Admirals Crea and Blore during the Ancient Albatross change of watch ceremony.

The new Coast Guard exhibit at the museum in Elizabeth City was exceptional. They have a helo rescue mock-up for children to raise a basket with a teddy bear in it. Naturally, Jay had to try it out. See below.

Jay reliving his flight days while hoisting a teddy bear.

The banquet was held in a large hanger with wine and glasses donated by Lockheed (we think) and the young aviators that received awards for excellence showed that the CG is now allowing high school kids to fly – at least they looked that young to Jay. But then the Admirals are just kids now too. Jay treasures the memories of his all too short career and thoroughly enjoys seeing old friends and meeting the new kids coming up the ranks. We always fill up a table of people Jay served with in Puerto Rico or Cape May and we look forward to attending the next one in Jacksonville, FL in 2010.

A street sign at Elizabeth City Air Station in honor of the Pterodactyls.

Especially fun was being able to visit with Bob and Ann Mueller, who are restoring an old house in E-City. Bob and Jay went through flight training together in 1967 and have not seen much of each other since. They had a lot to catch up on.

Bob and Ann Mueller in front of the house they had moved to this site and have been renovating for years. It's almost done.

Part of the Ptero Roost weekend is visiting the interesting places in the area. We chose the ranger guided tour of the Great Dismal Swamp State Park. We normally go for the nature activities and besides, both of us had traveled the Dismal Swamp Canal in our boats during our cruising days.

Chris and Jay on the raised decking at the Dismal Swamp State park.

The Dismal Swamp Canal. The boats are tied up at the North Carolina Visitors Center. Chris and her family tied their boat up to this dock and rode out a hurricane that was coming up the coast in the early 90s.